Crematorium

[elusivek]

One of my colleagues in my office is somewhat of a big-ish boss type colleague, and he gets away with a lot of stuff. Long lunches, lunches with wine, dead drunk back to work. He isn't so bad when drunk, he just gets politically insensitive when drunk and has no filter when talking.

I had to take a longer lunch break today because I was going over to the crematorium to witness Bido be cremated. Well, this colleague heard about it and started asking some... weird (but not bad weird, just weird weird) questions.

Why is there a crematorium for dogs? I want to be cremated in Macau! Can I ask to be cremated there? Will they swap the ashes to another dogs'? HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR DOG'S?????

Sir, I can't really help you with those questions, really! Anyway, that was done, I went back to work (bought some Portuguese Egg tarts on the way because the Kennel is just nearby the bakery for that) and found out other colleagues had similar ideas and there was heaps of snacks today LOL

And since I have a sticker printer, I've printed a photo of Bido and the urn sits proudly with Pequi's.

On that note, I'm just curious: what are your thoughts on the remains of a body? I remember for all our past dogs, our philosophy was, "do not tie the dogs down with us at home, let their remains go with other animals. They will be happier with other animals out there." Up until Peppie, we did that. Didn't even think twice about keeping the ashes or remains. But then, with Pequi, and now Bido, I am torn. If Menina and Sai Lup goes (by far really "my" dogs because Menina chose to follow me home and Sai Lup was just damn lucky to have become my friend at that time), I would want them to be free, and I would like them to be with me as well. I was thinking of getting a cast of their paws, but where would I put it? One service here takes the animal hair and puts the fur inside jewelry... but if it's that, then I'd rather that new thing where they turn the ashes into a diamond

Better to just not think about it right now.

Comments

[mymimikyu.livejournal.com]

My family, and both of my parents' families, have all buried our pets in the yard. I think that's an American country thing though, out of ease and to keep them close to you. In our home, we basically have a graveyard under a (now giant) tree. There must be almost 10 dogs, cats, birds out there. I like the thought of them all being together, and we buried the little puppy who didn't make it under there, so he wouldn't be alone (last summer when we fostered a pregnant mama dog). I got a tattoo of my dog though, but I don't know what to do when we eventually move from this home.

What is the general afterlife beliefs for the culture you live in? I've read some Chinese "ghost" stories, and that seems incredibly complicated and involved for humans. Haven't heard anything about the beloved animals though?

[notte0.livejournal.com]

Afterlife in my family is a touchy topic. My Mom is a staunch Roman Catholic, so to her, “Dogs have no souls”. Yet I can’t get myself to totally believe in that. How do you know a dog has no soul? How do you know a human HAS as soul?

An interesting thing of Chinese belief is on the 7th day after the death, the spirit comes back home for a visit. Sunday has come and gone and there was no visit, that we know of. (Though if we were serious about it we would have had to place a tray of food and sprinkle the ground with flour to see the “footsteps” of the spirit. Which wouldn’t work with us, as we still have 3 dogs and 3 cats running around at night)

Dad says he wants to be buried with the 2 urns when he goes. I still can’t decide if he’s joking or not.

I’m still tied in my belief that they would be happier with other animals, but now that he’s started to bring them home, I don’t know, kind of a jealousy working I guess. Hm. I’ll let it simmer.

[mymimikyu.livejournal.com]

My family has never discussed religion or afterlife, really. I like that belief, that they visit you on the 7th day. My dog still visits me in my dreams every so often, and I'd like to think that she really is visiting me.

The cremation jewelry and art is getting very popular in America, I think, but I'm always worried about losing or damaging something with my dog's ashes in it. I'm happy that they're all in the earth under the tree, and I've told my Husband that we're taking that tree with us when we move!

[mores0ul.livejournal.com]

"HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR DOG'S?????"

I don't know why I cracked up at this, but I can just picture a drunk guy getting all worked out about pet cremation and the ethics of the funeral industry.

I'm glad you were able to be with Bido at the very end. <3

Personally, I don't want to have any sort of ashes with me. My memories of them don't depend on having any sort of physical mementos. I understand the meaning behind it but it's never really been my thing. We keep a small urn of my grandma's ashes on our mantel out of respect for my aunties and uncles who wanted all the siblings to have a piece of her (which honestly just sounds so weird to me!) When I die I just want to be composted. Let me go back and nourish the earth that nourished me my whole life.

[notte0.livejournal.com]

Haha, as I said, it wasn’t bad weird, it was weird weird. A bit funny too. But, if you really think about it, how do you know they didn’t swap anything?

Indeed, I keep thinking that too, my memories are enough, so the ashes/remains should revert to nature out there. But now that my Dad is bringing them home and claiming wanting to be buried with them when he goes, I don’t know, a bit of a jealousy thing working here maybe.

I’ll probably go ahead and make a cast of the paw of my current 3 dogs (they are “technically” mine, as in, I’m the one that brought them home). Maybe hang them up on the wall. But then, Bido’s would be missing, so it doesn’t seem fair. Heck, all the others’ would be missing. So, I don’t know. I’ll let it simmer for a bit.

There’s a new service where they use chemical (acid?) to “melt” or disintegrate the body, and then it’s compost for plants. I may want to do that too, but.... what if I kill the plant then? Then the dogs would have died TWICE with me!

Ai, just let it simmer. I will think about it when I have to think about it....

[deepseasiren.livejournal.com]

I always cremate. Somehow the thought of a cat body decomposing in the ground just doesn't appeal to me, and the thought of leaving him or her at the vet to be thrown in the garbage to end up in a rendering plant really bothers me. It's weird because I DONT care what happens to MY body when I'm dead, but with relatives and my feline companions, I want the bodies treated with respect. Over here, we have the pet crematoriums where we indicate whether we want them cremated seperately, or in a group cremation which is cheaper, but you just get mixed ashes. I don't see the point of that. It's a lot more expensive to put them individually in urns, or cedar boxes, but that's what I do, and I trust the crematorium that it IS my cat's ashes that are in there.

[notte0.livejournal.com]

Yes, that’s what I say to, you can do nothing but trust the crematorium gives you the right ashes.

[hermitsmurf.livejournal.com]

We have my dog's remains in a jar in the house right now. I keep thinking we should bury them or something. I don't know what to do with them either.

[notte0.livejournal.com]

That would be another thing we have to think about.... eventually we will have another 6 urns (or more) if we get more pets and then they pass on.... building an alter to display them sounds creepy. So... I don’t know.... I’ll let it stew for a while

[kayaiem.livejournal.com]

I would want to have my cats' ashes when they pass, if that answers your question any

[notte0.livejournal.com]

Indeed that idea is growing on me, but there are many other factors to it, at least in my family. I’ll feel it unfair that I only keep the ashes of my dogs now... what about all the others from the past? (There’s around 8 of them), and then in future..... it will be an apartment full of urns. Could be creepy.

I’ll continue to think about it...!

[miyabi-kkg.livejournal.com]

I kinda like the idea of having my own ashes scattered when I die, but I somehow cling on to the ashes of my loved ones >_<
We still keep my family's first dog's ashes who passed away several years ago.

I do like the new thing where they turn the ashes into a diamond!

[newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com]

B wants to be cremated if she goes first, cuz she's certain I won't stay in Minnesota. Also, if there's an afterlife, she'd like to nag the living shit outta me.

I don't care what she does to my corpse, as long as she Moves The Fuck On. I mean, I'm almost 16 years older than her, it was likely gonna happen